Registering mechanism



Oct. 19, 1943. H. N. Buss REGSTERING IECHANISM Filed lay 23, 1940 'ZSheets-Sheet l SQ @www Swan/who@ ARVEYNLIJJ Oct. 19, 1943. H. N. BLlssREGISTERING MECHANISM Filed May 23, 1940 7. Sheets-Sheet 2 gwn/nm NEUSSHARVEY Oct 19, 1943- n H. N. Buss 2,332,197

REGISTERING MECHANISM F11-ed nay 25, 1940 '7 sheets-sheet s I Ji Ja'if",

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3mm/vbo@ HARVEY NELISJ Od. 19, 1943. Nl B'Llss REGISTERING MECHANISMFiled May 23, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 3 wu amm HARVEY /V BLISS Oct. 19,1943. H, N Buss REGISTERING MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 23,1940 Oct. 19, 1943. H. N. BLISS REGISTERING MECHANISM Filed May 25, 19407 Sheets-Sheet 6 @WMO/v HARVEY/V' 51165 Oct. 19, 1943. H. N. BLISSREGISTERING MECHANISM Filed May 25; 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 (jme/who@QNVINN Patented Oct. 19, 1943 REGISTERING MECHAN ISM Harvey N. Bliss,Windsor, Conn.-l assigner to Veeder-Root Incorporated, Hartford, Conn.,a corporation of Connecticut Application May 23, 1940, Serial No.336,706

(Cl. 23E-135) 17 Claims.

The present invention relates to registering or counting apparatus andhas particular relation to a mechanism including means for registeringthe total amount or number of units of material dispensed and means forsimultaneously registering thel total cost of the units dispensed. Inthe present instance, the mechanism is shown as being adaptable for usewith apparatus for dispensing gasoline or other fluids and wherein it isdesired-'to simultaneously register and indicate boththe number of unitsdispensed and the cost thereof.

An object of the present invention is an apparatus of this type whereinthe counters are of improvedV construction and utilize a transfermechanism whereby the step by 'step advance of the wheels of higherorder is controlled through means driven synchronously with and indirect relation to the wheel of lowest order.

Another object is an apparatus of this type wherein a plurality ofcounters are utilized and wherein thestep by step advance of the wheelsof higher order of all of the counters is controlled thro-ugh meansdriven synchronously with and in direct relation to the wheel'of lowestorder.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved'apparatus of this type wherein the number of parts required issubstantially less than the number of parts heretofore required in likeapparatus and wherein substantially allv of the parts may be metalstampings, thus greatly reducing the manufacturing costs.

A still further object is to provide an improved registering or countingmechanism of the aboveindicated type including resetting mechanism andYwherein the resetting operations may be easilyA and quickly effectedand the entire mechanism being characterized by its compactness inarrangement, simplicity in operation, and dependability and reliabilityin service and perormance.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

rlhe invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the'construction hereafter set forth and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of the registeringmechanismembodying the invention herein; v

Fig. 2-is aplan View of the apparatus shown in Figi 1;

Fig; 3 is a side elevational view through the center line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end view'with the front supporting rrame removed to showthe transfer mechanism with the parts in position during thev resettingoperation; l

Fig. 5 is an end View showing the means for disconnecting the countersfrom the drive means therefor;

Fig. 6 is an end View looking from the back of the mechanism and withparts removed to show details of' construction;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View through one of the counters to show detailsof construction;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the counter wheels;

Fig. 9 is a more or less diagrammatic perspective View showing thetransferV mechanism; and

Fig. l0 is a more or less diagrammatic perspective view showing analternative transfer mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the mechanism includes a front frame plate I0and a rear frame plate I2 stamped from any suitable metal and securedtogether in spaced relation by a plurality of tie rods I 4. Supported bythe frame platesare aplurality of counters, generally designated as A,B, C, and D; the counters A and B being adapted to indicate the cost ofmaterial dispensed and the counters C and D the amount of materialdispensed.

Each counter includes, in the embodiment illustrailed, three numeralwheels, and referring specifically` to lcounter A, it comprises anumeral wheel I6a of lowest order and a plurality of numeral wheels lilaand 23a of successively higher order. Each ofthe numeral wheels hasindicia en its periphery from 0 to 9; the lowest order wheel Iadesignating units, the wheel I8a tens, and the wheel 29a hundreds. Thenumeral wheels are mountedfor free rotation on a shaft 22a journalled inbushings 24 secured in the frame members lil and I2 and held againstlongitudinal movement by collars 26 pinned thereon adjacent the ends ofthe shaft.

The counters B, C, and D are of like construction, except when otherwisenoted, and the parts corresponding to the parts of counter A have beenlgiven a similar number with a small letter suiiix corresponding to thecapital letter desighating the counters. As the counters C and D areused to designate the amount of material dispensed, the lowest orderwheel is graduated to show tenths, the second order wheel units, and

i the highest order wheel tens.

vTo properly arrange the counters, the shafts 22a vand 22h are spaced inan upper horizontal plane and the shafts 22e and 22d are spaced in alower horizontal plane and respectively in vertical alignment with theshafts 22d and 22h, thus positioning a cost and material counter to eachside of the mechanism, whereby the cost and the amount of the materialdispensed may be simultaneously read through openings provided in theside walls of a usual enclosing casing (not shown).

To drive the counters, there is supported between the frame plates anupper drive shaft 28 located in horizontal alignment with and midwaybetween the cost counter shafts 22a and 22h, and below the shaft 28 asecond drive shaft 30 is similarly arranged relative to the materialcounter shafts Zic and 22d. The drive shaft 28 is connected to avariator(not shown) as, for example, by having pinned thereon a bevel gear 32, s

which gear meshes with a bevel pinion 34 carried on the upper end of ashaft; 36 operatively connected to the variator in any suitable way. Inlike manner, the drive shaft has pinned thereon a. bevel gear 33 havingin mesh therewith a bevel pinion 4i) carried on the upper end of a shaft42 operatively connected in any suitable way to the meter (not shown).

Upon rotation of the drive shafts, means are provided for transferringtheir'rotation to the counters aligned therewith, and as the means foraccomplishing this and the means lfor resetting the counters areduplicated in both the cost and amountcounters, the description of theseparts will, except where otherwise indicated, relate to the costcounter, and like numerals will be employed with like parts of theamount counters, except that the lnumerals associated with the parts ofthe amount counters are primed.

To accomplish the transfer of rotation from the drive shaft 28, it haspinned thereon an elongated collar or sleeve 44, and rotatably mountedon the sleeve is a main drive gear 46. The drive gear46 is located onthe sleeve by a positioning plate 48j secured to its back face andhaving its inner periphery located in a groove 50 cut in the sleeve 44.The means for connecting the drive gear 46 to the drive shaft 28comprises a clutch, generally designated by the numeral 52, andincluding a female clutch member 54 secured to the front face of thedrive gear 46 and a male clutch member 56v slidably mounted on thesleeve 4,4. The clutch members are normally maintained' in clutchinglengagement by a spring 58 compressed between the male clutch member 56and a rearwardly facing radial shoulder 60 on the sleeve 44.

TheA drive gear 46 is of such size that it meshes directly with atransfer gear 62a (see Fig. 2) directly connected to the lowest orderwheel of the counter A and a transfer gear 6217 directly connected tothe lowest order wheel of the counter B, and thus Vwhen the main drivegear 46 is clutched to the drive shaft the lowest order wheels of twooppositely disposed counters will be simultaneously and synchronouslyrotated in a counting direction; this direction being clockwise whenviewed from the front of the mechanism.

To drive the lowest order whee1 from its associated transfer gear, theorder wheel comprises a cup-shaped member 64a having av discoidal face66a and a peripheral flange 68a upon which the indicia is printed. Theface 66al has a central aperture lila for mounting same on a hub 12arotatably carried on the supporting shaft 22a. The hub 12a extendsrearwardly from the face bij Lio

Lio

66a for mounting thereon the transfer gear 62a, and the latter isintegrally secured to both the lowest order wheel and the hub 12a by aplurality of studs Ma, whereby the entire assembly will continuouslyrotate as long as the main drive gear 46 is clutched to the main driveshaft. As is usual, means are provided for advancing the order wheel 18aone step upon the order wheel i550, completing a revolution and foradvancing the order wheel 26a one step upon the order vxfheel [6acompleting ten revolutions. In the present instance, this step by stepadvance is accomplished through transfer mechanism actuated by a meansdriven by the main drive shaft synchronously with the rotation of thelowest order wheel; in the embodiment illustrated, this means comprisinga cam generally designated as '.35 and comprising complementary cammembers 'i6 and lil. For convenience in manufacture, the cam members areshown as mounted on the hub 'llaof the lowest order wheel Iia andsecured by the studs 14a for simultaneous rotation with he transfer gear62a and numeral wheel I6a.

To utilize the cam 'I5 for advancing the wheels of higher order, thereis associated therewith a transfer lever 8l) including a verticallyextending long arm 82 having a follower 84 positioned intermediate ofits ends and in contact with the cam member 'i6 and a horizontallyextending short arm 'having a follower 36 at its outer end contactingthe cam member 13. The transfer lever is pi d on a stud 90 extendingfrom the front fri ne member I8 and of such length that the transferlever is positioned with the followers 84 and Effi in engagement withtheir associated cams.

` The cam member 16 also has a peripheral incline 92'so located relativeto the lowest order wheel |6a that when the numeral 9 of the latter isvisible the low point of the incline will contact the follower 84 of thetransfer lever, and when the numeral il of the lowest order is visiblethe follower will have reached the top of the incline 32 and pivoted thetransfer lever clockwise to the dotted position indicated in Fig. 9.

The cam member "i8 is constructed in like manner to the cam member 16,but is complementary thereto, and the corresponding incline isadvanced'sufliciently to enable the follower 88 to always maintain thetransfer lever positioned with the follower 84 in engagement with thecam member lt. Obviously a single cam could be used, but theconstructionshown is advantageous in that the'cam members may readily be like metalstamping and merely mounted in complementary positions to obtain theresults desired.

To transfer the movement of the transfer lever 88 to the higher orderWheels, there is connected thereto means, generally designated by thenumeral S4, for-advancing the higher order wheels i541 and 2Sa of thecounter A and means, lgenerally designated by the numeral 96, foradvancing the higher order wheels |817 and 20h of the counter B.Referring initially to the means 84,

it includes a link 68 pivoted at its respective ends to the arm 82 ofthe transfer lever 80 and the end of a crank arm |00, depending from andpinned to a transfer shaft IBZ journalled in the frame plates lrand I2.Also pinned to the shaft i132 is a second arm 184 of like constructionto the arm |00 and so spaced therefrom as to lie in a vertical planeextending centrally between the order wheels I8a and 2Go. rIhe lower endof arm |84 has pivoted thereon a laterally extending transfer arm |06carrying on its free end a pair of spaced-fingers |08 and I0 locatedbetween and respectively adjacent the order wheels |60, and 2011. Theouter end ofnnger |08 is bent downwardly to provide a long pawl ||2engaging a ratchet ||4a secured tothe `order wheel |8a wheneverthecounter is operating in a counting direction, and the ringer ||0 isbent downwardly to provide a short pawl ||6 engageable at predeterminedintervals when the counter is operating in a counting direction with aratchet Haasecured tothe order wheel 2011. 1

The engagement of the short pawl ||6 with y the ratchet ||8a iscontrolled by the movement of the order wheelrla byproviding the ratchet|,|4a,y with v nine shallow teeth and one deep tooth, designated by thenumeral |20. With this construction, when the long pawl l2 of thetransfer arm |06l is positioned in any of the nine shallow teeth of theratchet ll4a, the short pawl H6 will be raised out ofcontact with theratchet Illia, the Vteeth ofwhieh are all of like depth to the nineshallow teeth of the ratchet Ma. However, when the deep tooth |23 of theratchet I ita aiigns with the long pawl ||2, the pawl will then drop asufficient. distance to position the short pawlV ||`6 behind one of theteeth of the ratchet Illia, this occurring when the numeral of the orderwheel Ilia is visible, whereupon both wheels will then be simultaneouslyadvanced one step.

As it Yis essential that the order wheels kwill not overthrow, means areprovided for preventing this from occurring. For this purpose thetransfer arm liicarries on its outer end a transverse stop |22 formedintegrally therewith and supported by a pair of'spaced iingers |24 and|26 extending outwardly from the base of the pawls of higher vo'rderalsohas/secured on vits discoidal face` a retainer plate |28 having tenlaterally extending teeth |30 each having a leading edge |3| andtrailing edger |33 with respect to the direction'of counting rotation.As seen in Fig. 6, when the transfer arm |06 is at rest with thetransfer teeth thereof Lin engagement with the ratchets, the stop |22 ispositioned out of the rotative path of teeth |30. Upon reciprocation ofthe transfer arm the stop |22 will be carried into the rotative path ofthe leading edge |3| of a retainer tooth |30, and when the arm reachestheV extent of its reciprocating motion the next succeedingv retainertooth |30 will abut the stop |22 and prevent further rotation of thewheel.

Referring now to the means 96 for advancing the higher order wheelsV|812 and 20h upon rotation of the lowest'order wheel of the counter A,the transfer lever 80 has` pivoted to the upper end of the long arm 82 atransfer arm |32; the other end of the transfer arm terminating inspaced ngers |34 and |36 ypositioned between the order Wheels |82) and201). The outer end of the finger |34v is bent upwardly to provide along pawl. |38 engaging the ratchet Mb of the order wheel |85, and theouter end of the finger |36 is provided with a short pawl |40 engageablewith the teeth of the ratchet ||8b of the order wheel 20h. As indicated,this construction is substantially similar to the construction of thearm |06, except thatl the pawls are turned upwardly, for uponreciprocation of `samethe ratchets are pushed instead` of being pulled,The arm |32 also includes a stop |42 corresponding to the stopV |22 ofthearm |06, but. is. positioned intermediate of the ends ofy the pawland .movable into therotative path of the retainer teeth when the pawlis reciprocated to advance the order wheels.

It is necessary to also provide means for preventing a reverse rotationof the order wheels as the pawls |06 and |32 are reversely reciprocatedfollowing an advance thereof, and this is attained by associating witheach wheel of higher order a retainer pawl |44 also adapted to cooperatewith the teeth |30 of the order wheel retainer plate |23. To obtain thiscooperation, the retainer pawl comprises an arm |46 pivotally mounted atone end on the tie rod lll and bent upwardly at its other end to providea shoulder |158. The arm |46 is of such length that it will overlie oneof y the retainer teeth |30 and position the shoulder |48 as a stopbehind the trailing edge |33 of the next retainer toot |30 in a countingdirection. When the order wheel is advanced, the retainer stopunderlying the arm |46 will lift same until the shoulder |43 is cleared,whereupon the retainer pawl will again drop into retaining position.

Briefiy summarizing the counting operation; upon rotation or the driveshaft 28 the gear 46 will rotate simultaneously therewith and causesynchronous rotation of the lowest order wheels |6a and lh and of thetransfer actuatin means-namely, the cam 15. When the numeral 9 of eachof these wheels is visible, the incline 92 of the cam member E6 willengage the follower S4 and pivot transfer lever 80 in a clockwisedirection to reciprocate the transfer arms |536 and |32 to the dottedlines indicated in Fig. 9, and advance the next highest order wheel onestep.

f Simultaneously, the stops |22 and |122 will move into the path of theorder wheel retainer teeth and prevent overthrow thereof. Upon reversereciprocation of the arms |06 `and |32, reverse rotation of the orderwheels is prevented by the re tainer pawls |44. When the higher orderwheeLs |8a and |81) are so positioned that the numeral 9 is visible, thelong transfer pawls will drop into the deep notches of the respectiveratchets and engage the short pawls with the next wheel,

- and upon reciprocation of the transfer arms all the higher orderwheels will be advanced one step.

As it is desirable that the higher order wheels wiil not be advancedwith a sudden movement, means are provided ior giving the transfer mechvanism a harmonious motion. To do this, the ineline 92 of the transfermeans actuating cam member 16 is so designed as to provide a longgradual rise 93 and a fairly sudden rise Sii, and .in this manner thepivotal movement of the transfer lever S0 will start at an extremelysicav g rate and gradually increase as the i oline passes over the pawl.In this way it is possible to start the rotation of the higher orderwheels prior to the full showing oi the numeral D of the lowest orderwheel. However, the motion oi the t higher order wheel will be so slowas not t' be noticeable, but will gradually increase in L f so that uponcontinued rotation will ca" with the lowest numeral wheel, whereby tl..proper numerals will be simultaneously displayed. In this manner, thehigher order wheels are not rotated with sudden motion, thussubstantially the possibility of overthrow.

Although the ratchets and retainer pl .es associated with the orderwheels have been shown as separate parts, they could be readily stampedfrom the discoidal faces of the Wheeis, thus further adding to thesimplicity and economy of the mechanism. In like manner, with theexception of the various. transfer shafts, practicall o the partsheretofore described comprise metal stampings. A further advantage ofthe present structure is that the order wheels could be molded fromplastic material, and if this were done the cam 75 could be moldeddirectly on the lowest order wheel and the ratchet teeth and retainerteeth molded directly on the higher order wheels.

Referring to the resetting means, there is provided a centrally locatedreset shaft |50 journalled in the frame members in like manner to thecounter supporting shafts. Upon rotation of the reset shaft it operatesmeans for releasing the transfer pawls from the order wheels, releasingthe retainer pawls from the order wheels, clutching the order wheels totheir counter shafts, breaking the clutching engagement between thedrive shafts and the counters, and thereafter rotating the order wheelsand transfer actuating means to Zero position. To accomplish thesevarious steps,v the reset shaft |50 has pinned thereon a reset cam |52having a peripheral notch |54, which, when the counters are in zeroposition, lags behind approximately thirty.. seven degrees. the resetcam is a follower-|50 carried on the end of a crank arm iiiS extendingfrom and pinned to a control. shaft |60 journalled in the frame members.The crank arm |58 is normally urged towards rotation in a clockwisedirection by a spring |52 having one end connected to the arm and theother to the frame member, and this` rotation also tends to rotate thereset shaft in a counterclockwise direction.

To limit this rotation of the arm 58 and the reset shaft, the controlshaft lilo also carries a non-back-up lever |54 which engages theperiphery of a non-back-up cam |65 carried on the hub of the reset cam|52. The non-back-up cam includes a reverse facing shoulder |68 engagingthe end of the non-back-up lever |64 when the reset'ca-m is at Zeroposition, and a second reversefacing shoulder |10 trailing the shoulder|68 and engageable with the non-backlever |34 after the reset shaft hasbeen rotated to lift follower |56 out of the notch mit and onto theperiphery of the reset cam and thereafter necessitating a full rotationin a reset direction.

Upon the lifting of follower |50 out of the notch, thearm |58 andcontrol shaft |60 will both be rotated in a counterclockwise direction.When this occurs, the shaft |60 will also rotate a pair of crank arms H2pinned thereon at one and pivotally and slidably connected at theiropposite ends to spaced actuating slides |'|'4 posi tioned in verticalalignment and in a plane midway between the two higher order wheels ofeach counter. For mounting the slides, there is cut therein slots V10,|78, and lill] through which the drive shafts 2B and 30 and the resetshaft lll extend; the top and bottom of the slots actas stops to limitthe vertical movement hereof. Upon the slides being raised vertically,they function to release the transfer pawls and retainer pawls fromtheir ratchets and simultaneously clutch the order wheels to the countershafts, positioning the parts as indicated in Fig. 4. "lo release thepawls, the slides have struck out laterallyV extending tongues |82eng'ageable beneath the transfer arms and |32 for lifting same out ofContact with their associated ratchets. As the transfer arms are raised,they in turn engage depending tongues |811 provided on each of theretaining pawls IM, thus lifting Positioned in the notch l@ of same frombehind the retainer stops |30, wherebythe order wheels will be free torotate on their counter shafts.

To clutch the order wheels to their respective counter shafts, theslides also actuate four levers |86, one associated with each counter.As seen in Fig. 4, one end of each lever |86 is slidably and pivotallymounted on a slide and the other end |88 is plvotally mounted on thecounter shaft intermediate of the two higher order wheels of the counterwith which it is associated. As the slide is raised, the lever |86 willbe rotated to slightly rotate a pair of oppositely disposed cams |90provided on the pivoted end |83 of the lever these cams merely beingdetents provided in the lever when the same is stamped out.

To cooperate with the cams |90, there is also arranged between each pairof higher order wheels a vertically arranged spacer |92 provided withapertures alignable with the counter shafts to permit its mountingthereon and extending above and below the shafts and between the pawlarm transfer fingers to function as guides therefor. The spacer |92includes a pair of cams |90 complementary to the cams and so positionedrelative thereto that upon rotation of the lever |85 the cams |90 willride onto the cams |911. When this occurs, the spacer |92 and the innerend |88 of the lever |36 will spread apart and each will engage againsta friction spring |96 keyed to the counter supporting shaft so as torotate therewith but be slidable thereon. As seen in Fig. 8v, the spring|96 includes a central body portion |91 and a plurality of lingers |98bent out of the plane of the body portion to abut against the discoidalface of the order wheel with which it is associated. When pressure isapplied to the body portions, the lingers will frictionally engageagainst the wheel and clutch it to the counter shaft for rotationtherewith, although permitting slippage if the frictional force isovercome. Simultaneously, the intermediate order wheel will also bemoved longitudinally of the counter shaft, and the forward end of itshub will compress a friction spring |90 associated with the drive gearof the lowest order wheel (see Fig. 7) to clutch it to the countershaft, whereby upon rotation of the counter shaft all the wheels mayreset to zero.

To simultaneously disconnect the drive gears 06 and 46 from the driveshafts, there is slidablyl mounted on the reset shaft |50 a yoke 200having its top and bottom ends positioned in a. collar 202 provided oneach of the male members of the clutches 52. To slide the yoke 200longitudinally of the resetshaft and thus break the main drive clutches,there is associated therewith one end 200 of a toggle link 20B, whichend is provided with cams 208 normally aligned with and positioned in avertical groove 2li) in the yoke 00. The end 204 of the toggle link 200is maintained in proper position by a collar 2|2 pinned to the resetshaft |50 rearwardly of the link.

To actuate the link 206, it is connected through a second toggle link2|4 to the control shaft |60, and upon rotation of the latter the togglewill move from its normal position indicated by full lines in Fig. 5 tothe broken line position to rotate the cams 203 out of the yoke groove2W onto the lace of the yoke, sliding the latter longitudinally of thereset shaft and breaking the clutches between the drive shafts and thedrive gears.

All of the foregoing occurs as the reset cam |52 is rotated from theposition indicated in Fig,

i. to' the position indicated ni nig. f4, and :thereafter ltheresettingrotation ofthe counter wheel occurs. "I'o vaccomplish this resetting,the shaft lever 2 I6 Iand is normally held stationary by friction meansincluding a plate i224 having a depending `finger 226 pinned to theframe plate IQ.

, '.Rearwardly of the plate224 is a `friction spring 2,28o'f likeconstruction tothe friction spring ziet and normally held undercompression by `a securing washer 23D seated vin a groove in the hun222.. There may also be positioned between the spring 228 and plate 224a friction washer 2.32 and a like friction washer positioned between.the plate 224 and the rearface of. the main 'reset gear 220.

Thefreset gear 220 simultaneously meshes with a secondary reset gear 234pinned on the forward end of each of the vcounter `supporting shafts,and thus upon rotationof the main reset gear all of the counter `shaftswill be rotated in a counterclockwise direction, and as the order wheelshave been previously clutched to the counter .shafts-they Will besimultaneously rotated towards zero position and 'the transfer actuatingmeans `rotated simultaneously with the lowest .order wheel. As thisrotation is in a direction opposite to the counting direction andindependent of any movement .of the drive means, backlash is eliminated.f

To assure 'accurate zero setting, each higher order wheel `retainerplate|28 includes one -stop 236 having a trailing edge |31 at a greaterradial distance from the center of the wheel than those of the remainingstops |30. This stop is so located that when zero 'becomes visible thestop will engage the stop shoulder |48 of the retaining p awls |44;these pawls having only been raisedsufiiciently to permit the' otherretainer stops to clear same upon the resetting operation. When so held,the friction clutch will -slip and the counter shaft rotate4independently :of the y order wheel.

' should-er v2.14v which will limit the pivoting in a clockwisedirection. Obviously as the main Idrive gear moves in a countingdirection the stud 238 will ride beneath the Vstop 240 `and simply liftit outof its path of movement, and the stop will drop by gravity whenthe stud has cleared same.

To assure that all of the wheels-will be rotated to zero position, thegear ratio between -the main reset Agear 220 and the secondary gears 234is such that the latter will be rotated approximately one andone-quarter times for each revolution of the main reset gear. Thusshould any slippage occur between the order wheels and the countershafts, the extra extent of movement will compensate for same.

Upon completing a revolution of the reset shaft, the follower |56 of thearm |58 will again be "rotatably mounted on a hub 222 pinned to thedrawn by the tension of spring |52 into the notch |54 to reverse therotation of the reset shaft through the medium of the spring |62 untilthe non-back-up lever |64 engages behind the nonback-up cam shoulder|68. When this occurs, the control shaft |6il will be rotated in aclockwise-direction and, through its associated mechanism, will move'theactuating slides downwardly and reset the various parts for countingoperation.

In theernbodiment illustrated in Fig. l0, there is shown an alternativemeans for advancing the higher order wheels of each counter. In thisembodiment, the means for advancing the -ratchets -IMb and ||8b of .thenumeral wheels 98h and 20`o of the counter B is similar to that shown in9, and the parts have been similarly numbered. However, to advance theratchets |I4b and H81) of the lnumeral wheels la'and 20a, the pawlcarrying arm |06, instead of fbeing driven through interconnectinglinkage to the lever 80, is directly driven by means rotatedsynchronously with the transfer gear 6227 and the lowest numeral wheel|611 ofthe counter B. These means include a transfer leverand cam leverof like construction to those associated `with the lowest numeral wheelof the counter A and have been given like numerals.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language .used in the followingclaims is intended to cover allv `of the generic and specific featuresof the lnvcntion herein described and all statements of the vscope ofthe invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween.

.Iclaimas my invention:

l. In combination, a pair of counterseach having a plurality of numeralwheels of successively higher order, means for synchronously rotatingthe wheel of lowest order of each counter, oscillatable .transfer meansfor the wheels of higher order, and means rotated in synchronism withthe Vwheels of lowest order for operating said oscillatable transfermeans to effect a transfer movement of the wheels of higher order.

2. In combination, a pair of counters each having a V.plurality ofnumeral wheels of successively higher order, means for synchronouslyrotating the wheel `of lowest order of each counter, and transfer meansfor effecting a transfer of the wheels ofhigher order and including acam rotated in synchronism with the wheels of lowest order and a pawland ratchet associated with each Wheel of higher order and operativelyconnected to the cam.

3. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality of numeralwheels of successively higher order, means for synchronously rotatingthe numeral wheels of lowest order, transfer pawls for the wheels ofhigher order, means for operating said transfer pawls for effecting atransfer movement of the wheels of higher order and including anactuating member rotated synchronously with said wheels of lowest order,and operative connections between said actuating member and saidtransfer pawls.

4. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofrotatable numeral wheels, a

rotatable drive shaft, and means for advancing said numeral wheels aftera predetermined rotation of the drive shaft and including an actuatingmember rotated synchronously with the drive shaft, and oscillatablemeans operatively connected to said numeral wheels and periodicallyoperated by said actuating member to rotate said numeral wheels.

5. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality of numeralwheels of successively higher order, means for synchronously rotatingthe wheels of lowest order of each counter, com-- mon transfer means foradvancing all of the wheels of higher order of both of said counters,and means associated and rotated synchronously with the lowest orderwheel of one of said counters for actuating said transfer means.

6. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality of numeralwheels of successively higher order, means for synchronously driving thelower order wheels of each of said countersy and means rotatedsynchronously with the driven wheel of one counter for advancing thehigher order wheel of the other counter.

7. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofnumeralwheels of successively higher order, means for synchronouslyrotating the wheels of lowest order, transfer means movable in reversedirections and operable when moved in one direction for advancing thewheels of higher order in acounting direction, and means rotatedsynchronously with the rotation of the wheel of lowest order foroperating said transfer means in reverse directions. l

8. In a counter, a numeral wheel of lowest order, second and thirdnumeral wheels of successively higher order, means for rotating saidlowest order wheel, a transfer pawl engageable with said second wheel, asecond transfer pawl engageable with said third wheel, means on thesecond wheel for controlling the engagement of the second transfer pawlwith the third wheel, and means rotated synchronously with the lowestorder wheel for actuating both of said transfer pawls.

9. Ina counter, a numeral wheel of lowest order, a second numeral wheelof higher order, a reciprocating pawl associated with said second wheelfor advancing'same after a predetermined rotation of the first wheel,and rotatable means operated synchronously with the rotation of thelowest order wheel 4for reciprocating said pawl.

10. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofnumeral wheels of successively higher order, means for synchronouslydriving the lower order wheels of each counter, transfer means for thehigher order wheels including a ratchet associated with each wheel and apawl for operating said ratchet, and means for operating said pawlscomprising a member rotated synchronously withv the driven wheel of onecounter and operatively connected to each of said pawls.

11. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofnumeral wheels of successively higher order, means for synchronouslydriving the lower order wheel of each of said counters, and means foroperating the higher order wheels of each ofsaid counters including aratchet associated with each wheel and a pawl for operating saidratchet, and means for operating said pawls including a membersynchronously driven with the driven wheel of one f counter andoperatively connected to the pawls of the other counter.

12. In a counter having a pair of order wheels of successively higherorder, drive means for rotating the wheel of lowest order, pawl andratchet means for advancing the wheel of higher order on predeterminedrotation of the wheel of lower order, and an operative connectionbetween said pawl and said drive means and including a first memberrotated synchronously with the lowest order wheel and a second memberoperated by the first member for converting the rotating movement ofsaid rst member into oscillating movement to oscillate said pawl.

13. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofnumeral wheels of successively higher order, drive means forsimultaneously rotating the wheel of lowest order of each counter,transferV means for the higher order wheels including a ratchetassociated with each wheel and a pawl for operating said ratchet,

' and means for operating said pawls comprising a cam simultaneouslyrotated with the wheels of lowest order.

14. In a counter, a plurality of numeral wheels of successively higherorder, drive means for the wheels of lowest order, transfer means forthe higher order wheel comprising a ratchet associated with the wheeland a pawl for operating the ratchet, means for operating said pawl andcomprising a cam operatively connected to said drive means forsynchronous rotation with the wheel of lowest order, and operativeconnections between saidv cam and said transfer pawl.

l5. In a counter, a plurality of numeral wheels of successively higherorder, means for driving the lowest order wheel, means for advancing thehighest order wheels after a predetermined rotation of the lowest orderwheel, said means comprising a pawl associated with each wheel, atransfer lever to which said pawls are commonly connected, and a memberrotated synchronously with the lowest order wheel for actuating saidtransfer lever.

I6.' In a counter, a plurality of numeral wheels of successively higherorder, drive means, means for actuating said order wheels and comprisinga pawl associated with each wheel, a transfer le- Verto which said pawlsare commonly connected, and a member having an operative connection tosaid drive means for synchronous rotation therewith for oscillating saidtransfer lever.

17. In combination, a pair of counters each having a plurality ofnumeral wheels of successively higher order, means for synchronouslyrotating the wheel of lowest order of each counter, and means foreffecting a transfer movement of the wheels of higher order following apredetermined rotation of the wheel of lower order and comprising aratchet associated with each wheel and a pawl for operating saidratchet, and means for operating the pawls comprising a transfer leverto lwhich said pawls are commonly connected and a member operatedsynchronously with said lowest order Wheel for actuating said transferlever.

- HARVEY N. BLISS.

